Chapter 253: Eduardo And Sofia
Chapter 253
Later in the end, Alex sat seated on the couch with his chin resting on his palm, while staring at the TV without really seeing it. Ever since that thieving baby-faced woman of his had left, the whole apartment felt kind of boring.
Doris had finally gone back to work, still giggling, after Alex chased her around the living room for ten minutes straight and she disappeared out the front door with a wave and a "thanks for the ice cream!" Now the place was so quiet, and he had nothing else to do.
So here he was, watching some soap opera. On the screen, a woman in some fancy red dress was crying loudly in front of a man in a suit. "How could you do this to me, Eduardo?! I trusted you! And now you tell me that our precious baby isn’t even yours?!"
"Elena, you have to understand that It was only one night! It doesn’t mean anything at all! I love your sister too much to leave her because of you."
Alex blinked slowly. ’Refusing to accept the woman pregnant for him, huh? What a coward.’ He shook his head, feeling a little sick. He changed his mind about this show already.
Floating next to his shoulder in her chibi form, the system sat cross-legged in the air with a big bowl of imaginary popcorn on her lap. Her eyes were wide and shining as she stared at the screen.
[Oh my gosh, I can’t believe Eduardo did that Sofia deserves better! If I were her, I would just leave him and run away with Vance!]
"Vance?" Alex asked flatly. "Whose Vance?"
[Oh right, he’s the one who showed up in episode twelve! Keep up, Alex!]
"I’m not even watching the same show as you," Alex muttered. "You said this would be interesting. You promised me it was going to be the best thing I ever watched."
[It is interesting!] the chibi said, pouting. [It’s not my fault you have no taste.]
"I’m pretty sure a good deal of people will agree with me and find this stuff boring. While only a small amount will agree with you and find it decent."
[Hmph. Just wait until the big twist in the next episode. You’ll be crying like a baby.]
Alex sighed and leaned back, deciding not to argue anymore. He had no strength left after that day. Fighting a four cheap thugs, getting slapped by a hot-tempered redhead, losing an ice cream, and learning that some powerful Awakened wanted Celine and his head. All he wanted was a quiet evening, even if it meant watching this Eduardo and Sofia whatever.
Just then, he heard the sound of almost perfectly silent footsteps approaching from outside.
Alex’s ears perked up, and he immediately recognized the footsteps right away. The door swung open, and Celine walked in with a big paper shopping bag in her arms. Her long hair was tied in a messy ponytail, and she was wearing a pure black hoodie which looked exactly like his and black leggings that definitely wasn’t his but still managed to look good on her gorgeous body.
She was already looking down at her phone, but stopped in the doorway for a second and glanced toward the TV, where Sofia was now slapping Eduardo across the face like she was hoping to reset his brain.
Celine looked at the TV. Then she looked at Alex. Then back at the TV.
"So," she said slowly, raising one eyebrow, "you watch stuff like this?"
Alex almost panicked. He nearly blurted out that it was the system’s fault, but he caught himself in time. Telling her about the invisible little gremlin next to him was not an option. He rubbed the back of his neck and put on a casual look.
"Uh, yeah," he said. "I thought they were just okay at first. And I guess, you know, it just kind of grew on me."
"Hmm." Celine walked in and closed the door behind her with her foot. "I guess I never really took you for the soap opera type. You look more like the type who watches sports and action movies."
"Well I just happen to have a wider varieties," Alex said.
"Sure you do."
Beside him, the chibi was holding her stomach and shaking with laughter. [Grew on you? Oh my god, that’s one of the best lie I’ve ever heard in a while! But I must say you certainly know how to lie through your teeth as easily as if you were drinking water which is honestly nothing short of impressive.]
Alex shot her a quick glare out of the corner of his eye. The chibi just stuck her tongue out at him. Trying to change the topic, Alex looked at the shopping bag in Celine’s arms.
"Hey, so what’s that you got there?"
Celine rolled her eyes.
"Are you blind? What does it look like I got? I went shopping."
She walked to the kitchen counter and started pulling things out of the bag one by one. Alex got up from the couch and followed her, curious. First came a carton of fresh milk. Then a few cartons of eggs. Then some fruit, a jumbo sized bread, and a bunch of other daily things like cleaning soap and toothpaste. Then she pulled out a big green bunch of vegetables.
"Broccoli," Alex said with a dead voice. "Why does there have to be broccoli?"
"Because I like."
"Well, I hate broccoli."
"Oh wow, but I didn’t ask."
[Burn!]
Alex scowled, but she ignored him and reached into the bag again. This time, she pulled out something big and round, wrapped in a thin layer of frost. Then she placed it on the counter with a soft thump.
Alex’s eyes went wide the moment he saw what it was. It was a whole tub of Rocky Road ice cream. A real, actual tub of Rocky Road ice cream, with the chocolate and marshmallow picture right there on the front. And It was still full and unopened, and he swore he almost saw it shine under the kitchen lights like a holy treasure.
Behind him, the chibi gasped dramatically.
[Is that a Rocky Road I see?!]
Alex stared at it. His hands began to shake a little. After a day like today, it felt like a gift from heaven.
"W-where did you get that?" he asked in a low voice. "That’s the last flavor I wanted. The store near me only just got it back in stock."
Celine shrugged like it was nothing. "I was at the mall when some rich brat in a fancy shirt kept following me around, saying he wanted to help me pay for what I wanted. I told him no, but he wouldn’t stop. So I just grabbed a bunch of random things, like this ice cream, and put them on the counter. He paid for everything like a good little fool."
"And you just let him?"
"Why not? He offered and why would anyone reject not having to pay for something." She leaned against the counter and crossed her arms. "Of course, after that he tried to get my number. I told him to scram. But he wouldn’t leave, so I just ended up giving him a light beating before walking off."
"A light beating?"
"Yes. I think he’s still breathing. Probably."
Alex couldn’t help but laugh. That was so like her. He leaned against the counter next to her and shook his head. "Poor guy. He had no idea who he was messing with."
Then he remembered something, and his smile faded. He cleared his throat.
"Oh, before I forget, there’s something I need to tell you. It’s about what a close friend of mine came to talk to me about earlier."
Celine’s eyes sharpened. "What did they say?"
Alex quickly told her everything. About how Doris had come all the way here just to warn him. About how she had found out that some powerful Awakened was hunting for her and her partner with the black skull mask. And about how the guy was connected to one of Marcus’s dead men.
By the time he finished, Celine’s face had turned as cold as ice. Her black eyes that looked like twin voids narrowed, and the air in the kitchen suddenly felt a few degrees colder, as if someone had turned on a freezer.
"So he’s coming after us, huh? Fine. If he really dares to show up, then he’ll have nobody to blame but himself in the end."
"Yeah, I already figured you would say that."
The cold in the air faded a little, and Celine turned back to the groceries, putting the milk and eggs into the fridge. Alex watched her for a moment, then looked at the ice cream tub on the counter. His mouth began to water. He rubbed his hands together and tried to sound as casual as possible.
"So, uh... Celine?" he said. "About that ice cream."
She didn’t turn around. "What about it?"
"Do you think... maybe... I could have a small taste?"
Celine finally turned and looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "A small taste? What about the one you’ve been guarding in the fridge for who knows how long? I saw you hide it behind the spring soda bottle."
"Well about that, a thieving friend of mine ate it," he said in a tiny voice. "While I was out. She finished everything without even leaving me so much as a drop!"
For a few seconds, she studied his sad face. Then she sighed, picked up the tub, and held it out toward him.
"Fine. You can have the whole thing if you want."
Alex’s eyes lit up like a kid on Christmas morning. "Really?!"
"Really." Celine pulled the tub back just as his fingers touched it. A sly smile curved her lips. "But in exchange, you will be the one cooking dinner tonight."